But that’s not why I like them. I like them because they can be stored in the freezer for that random moment when an apple pie craving hits. Or, in my case, a crumble craving…I get those too.

It’s old news that I am a huge fan of the humble crumble topping. I use it on cupcakes, on crisps, on s’mores bars, on muffins, on more cupcakes, and even on ice cream. I have been known to eat it straight out of the bowl…but don’t tell anyone because that is embarrassing.

Last year I was taste testing and practicing making my Great Grandmother’s Pecan Tassies for my wedding, so I had a constant supply of mini pecan pies in my freezer, which, in case you are wondering, was not good for the pre-wedding diet and a certain Wedding Fairy, if you’ve been reading long enough to remember her {thank you if you have!}, was not impressed with my late night tassie “taste testing”.

I only made a half batch of these Mini Apple Pecan Crumble Pies and of the four mini pies that made it to the freezer, only 1 stayed in there longer than 24 hours! My husband LOVED these little treats.

The cream cheese pastry is flaky and rich, and contrasts nicely with the slightly tart, spiced apple filling! I managed to sneak some of my new favorite spice, cardamom, into the filling and it was delightful! A simple twist on an old favorite.

Can we talk about the toasted pecan crumble already? Geez, Lindsey. It’s (arguably) the best part! It is a vanilla scented brown sugar crumble packed with toasted pecans. The pecans? My favorite last minute addition. Why sprinkle them on top when you can mix them up inside?

The pecan crumble is one of those innocent crumbles that I mentioned above that I almost taste tested to death. I may or may not have had to make more.

2 apples, pealed and diced into small pieces (Granny Smith works well here)

½ cup light brown sugar, not packed

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

large pinch kosher salt

large pinch of ground cardamom (or more to taste)

Pinch freshly ground nutmeg (fresh is better but you could use a ground as well)

1 teaspoon cornstarch

For the Crumble:

¼ cup unsalted butter, melted

¼ teaspoon vanilla

½ cup light brown sugar, packed

½ cup all-purpose flour

½ cup toasted pecans, finely chopped

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°

To make the crust:

Sift flour into a medium sized bowl. Cut butter into small cubes and add to flour. Add the cream cheese and cut the butter and cheese into the flour with two knives or a pastry blender. Continue until the dough holds together. Since we aren’t adding any additional liquid, you’ll want to continue to blend way past the stage at which you would normally stop with a pie crust.

Gather the crust into a ball and divide into 24 little pieces. I make a little log out of the dough, divide the log in half with a bench scraper or knife, divide each half roughly into thirds, then divide each third into 4 pieces. The dough is pliable enough that if you come up with several pieces that are way smaller and way larger than the others, which you probably will, you can pinch some off the larger and add it to the smaller pieces. Works every time.

Press each piece into one cup of a miniature muffin tin with your forefinger to create a little crust.

Stir the vanilla into the melted butter. Add all the remaining ingredients and stir with a fork until all the ingredients are equally moistened. They should hold together and then break into crumbles when squeezed in your hand. If it is still too dry you can add melted butter 1 teaspoon at a time, but be careful not to make it too moist or it will be greasy and not crunchy/soft like it should be.

Also note that if you chop your pecans too big, they will impede the crumbles from forming.

Assemble the Pies:

Spoon a teaspoon of filling into each (unbaked) pastry shell. The filling should come to the top because it will cook down a lot.

Press some crumble onto each mini pie. Make sure to mound it on top so that the finished pies have a generous helping of crumble.

Bake in preheated oven 25-30 minutes or until the filling is bubbling around the edges and the crumble and pie crusts have begun to brown. Let cool completely in the tins before removing. I’ve found that spinning the pie in the tin to release the edges and then gently pressing down on one side is a quick and easy way to remove them without breaking the pie shells.

Notes:

The recipe can easily be doubled. If you want to make more than 48, then I would make the crust in separate double batches. Also, if you have a kitchen scale or your cream cheese comes marked with ounces, you can easy make a half batch.

You can serve them warm or cold. My husband said they were even good frozen! A little scoop of ice cream is never remiss.

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Comments

These are the cutest mini pies ever, Lindsey! You really need to open a bakery! 🙂 I love the flavor of these cuties, especially with the pecans. Pinned!Gayle @ Pumpkin N Spice recently posted…Cinnamon Applesauce

A cream cheese crust??? I don’t think I would have ever ever even thought of that one!!! BRILLIANT lady! Heck yeah to cardamom in that apple filling and that “humble crumble” sounds might regal – I would eat it out of the bowl too – without a spoon! These are not only adorable but totally delectable! Have a safe trip back!

The only thing better than pie is a mini pie…loaded down with crumble! I love mini desserts like this — they’re so much more fun. You know, I think these will show up around the holidays!marcie recently posted…Salted Turtle Caramel Apples

I see what you did there, you little trickster you. You blamed your husband for the missing crumble pies. But you just told us how much you enjoy late night tassie tasting…so I think you tipped your hand to us. I’m onto you, Lindsey! Haha…just kidding, of course. I know I couldn’t resist these if they were in my kitchen. In fact, I probably wouldn’t have even pretended with the freezer. I just would have put them on my plate and sat there with a goofy grin on my face. Looks delicious!David @ Spiced recently posted…Count Chocula Cereal Treats

Haha! We were both guilty of late night tassie tasting! All the in name of a good cause! The disappearance of these little crumble pies was mostly my husband’s doing but it’s my fault because I only made 12! I don’t know why I bothered freezing 4 anyways! In the false hope that I would forget about them and be surprised at a later date! Foolish. 🙂

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[…] doesn’t love dessert with a crust and a crumble topping too? This Mini Apple Pecan Crumble Pie from American Heritage Cooking looks like the perfect combination of flaky crust and crunchy sugar […]

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I’m overjoyed that you have stopped by! This blog combines my passions for cooking, baking, recipe development, cookbooks, and American history. I post a smorgasbord of heirloom and heritage recipes, my personal creations, and modern recipes that are just too good not to share!